Yes they're sharing a drink they call loneliness, but it's better than drinking alone

Gina tossed and turned in her bed. Because of the black décor of her room, it was darker than most would expect, and she felt swallowed up by the night, like there was nothing around her for miles. She stared up at the ceiling, seeing nothing.

She couldn’t get comfortable. Even with the thick dark blanket she felt cold.

When was the last time I slept alone?

Gina couldn’t stay in that room another second. So she did what she’d done the last time Dawn spent the night with Nick, and went down to the bar.

The best part (in Gina’s mind) about being on Harem Hotel was the fact that the hotel had plenty of bars to choose from. And she drank for free. Not to mention that, as the only patron, there were no long waits.

She missed the noise, though. Without rowdy bar patrons, the dimly-lit pub gave off more of a “dive bar” than “nightclub” feel.

It was quiet. Too quiet. And while **** could numb the quiet, she was still stuck with her own thoughts.

“It’s been a while since you were here,” the pink faerie floating behind the bar noted. “What can I get for you?”

“Something strong,” Gina grumbled. The patches she was wearing might have cured her body’s dependency on ****, but they didn’t fix how much she liked it. It didn’t help either that this bar apparently carried everything. “Got any rubbing ****?”

The faerie chuckled, and got to work mixing a drink. She took three different types of rum together and mixed them with assorted fruit juices together in a cocktail shaker that was nearly as large as she was through the use of magic. Then she poured the drink out for Gina, who was surprised by the bright orange-pink color.

“Whoa, looks good, what’s this called?” Gina asked, licking her lips and reaching for the glass. She barely touched it to her lips when the faerie answered her question, stopping her cold.

“It’s called a Zombie.”

Well, that sure ruined my mood. Of all the unfortunate coincidences, Gina had to be given a drink like that. She sighed, about to put it back down.

“Fascinating. Can I get one of those?”

Her heart sank into her stomach, and she brought the glass back to her lips. Fuck it. Booze is booze. Without hesitation she drained it dry, slamming the empty glass down onto the bar. It wasn’t nearly strong enough to get her buzzed. Resigned, she swiveled on her stool to greet the newcomer.

Dakota walked into the bar like she owned the place, her cold eyes staring into Gina's soul. Gina winced, sinking back into her stool. This was a confrontation a long time coming.

“Hey,” she muttered weakly. “Come take a seat. I’ll buy you a drink.”

A light joke, but Dakota didn’t laugh. The black-haired girl stalked up to the bar and sat down in the stool next to hers, nodding to the faerie.

“One more for me, too,” Gina said. They sat in silence for a few minutes while the faerie mixed their cocktails.

“So what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” Dakota finally asked when the drinks were set in front of them.

Gina raised her eyebrow. “Surprised you know that reference.” Gina didn’t. It was a line from a movie, right? She’d seen it memed a few times but that was the best she could do.

“Apparently, I became something of a film buff,” Dakota said, picking up her drink and swirling it around in her hand for a bit. She stared into its orange depths in contemplation. “I wouldn’t have expected that.”

“I forgot to thank you for that, by the way,” Gina said sarcastically. “Thank you for warping my memories and making me question who the fuck I even am. It really means a lot to me.”

Dakota looked up from her glass and glared at Gina, who had already finished off her drink and was ordering another.

“I don’t think you’re one to talk, given what you did to me,” she said.

Gina flinched. “That was an accident.”

“I know it was. And I’m not angry at you over it,” Dakota assured her. “But you can understand, after having my life taken from me… why I would be so adamant about creating a new history for myself, right? What happened to you, that’s just… collateral damage.”

Gina couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Collateral damage?” She asked incredulously. “You’re joking, right?”

Dakota stared at her. “Oh?”

“You overwrote my entire life!” The blonde exclaimed, standing up from her stool and glaring at Dakota. “I knew who I was just fine before you came along and messed everything up! Now I remember studying for tests, going to school, learning to play the guitar, it’s all a jumbled mess and I can barely separate what’s real from what’s not!”

Before now, Gina had lived her life trapped in a descending stairway into hell. She hadn’t given a damn about herself or her future, and firmly expected to be found dead in some dude’s hotel room. And because of what she’d done to Dakota, she felt like she deserved it. She was a killer, after all, she’d taken the life of her childhood friend even if she hadn’t meant to.

Dakota stared up at her, unfazed by her outburst. She still hadn’t touched her drink.

“I was content, you know,” Gina muttered, sitting back down. “I was just gonna live my life without giving a damn, doing whatever the fuck I wanted. But no, now I’ve got all these… these memories spinning around in my head! Memories of church picnics and birthday parties and Thanksgiving dinners, and it’s just so… aaargh!”

She ruffled her hair in frustration and then slumped over, resting her forehead on the bar.

“This isn’t me,” she grumbled. “I’m not supposed to be like this.”

I’m not supposed to give a damn.

It was like Sylvia had roped in a second transformation to go with Gina’s first. On top of her handcuffs, she’d been given a good girl backstory, and it wormed its way into her head and refused to leave.

“Gimme another one of those,” she spat, tilting her head up to look at the faerie. “More rum.”

Dakota stilled hadn’t said a word. She lounged back against the bar and stared pensively at Gina as the blonde drained another drink.

“…You’re not the only one adapting you know,” she finally whispered. “And at least you know who you are. Even if you’ve gotten all those other memories, have they really changed you? Made you into a completely different person?”

Gina stared up at her, confused.

“Huh?”

“This drink…” Dakota looked at the zombie in her hand. “It’s ****, right?”

“Fuck yeah it is,” Gina nodded, finishing off her fourth. “Rum’s the shit.”

“You see, I wouldn’t know. I’ve never drank **** before.”

It took a moment for that to sink in.

“Wait, no way!” Gina shook her head. “You’re my age! Are you telling me in all those memories they shoved into your head, you don’t have any memories of getting plastered at a bar? Or doing shots at a party? Or drinking some suspicious shit out of the back of some dude’s truck at a concert?”

Dakota stared at her in muted shock.

“…What? I mean, it was just that one time…”

“…Right. Well, like you said. Those are just memories. Yes, I remember having a few beers every once and a while, but that’s different. They’re memories that were implanted in my head, not a life I actually lived.”

Gina stared at her, her eyes glassing over. Shit, these must have been stronger than I thought, because I didn’t get any of that…

“The life I actually lived… well, this is the first drink I’ve ever had in it.” Then Dakota tilted her head back and drained the glass dry without hesitation.

Gina whistled. “Wow, you might not drink often, but you sure know your routine,” she sniggered. “So what do you think? For a first drink, I mean. Pretty good?”

“…Too fruity,” Dakota said, making a face. “I don’t know WHAT I think of it, it was like drinking fruit punch.”

“Yeah, well, it would,” Gina rolled her eyes. “They mix that stuff in to mask the taste of the ****. So it’ll taste better.”

“Fuck that,” Dakota scowled. “Just give me the **** straight then, and skip all that bullshit.”

For the first time that night, Gina smiled.

“Hey! Two shots of kraken!” She called to the faerie. The tiny sprite nodded, pouring a dark liquid into two shot glasses.

Dakota glanced suspiciously at. “What’s this now?”

“This is rum without all the fruity parts. Try it. You’ll love it,” Gina assured her, her eyes flashing with mischief.

Dakota hesitated, but took the shot. The girls clinked glasses together and drained them with a swig. Dakota choked.

“Ugh, that’s strong…” She coughed, spitting a little.

“I know, right?” Gina cackled. “Not bad for your first shot! What do you think? Want another one?”

“Oh, god no,” Dakota said, shaking her head. “My tongue feels numb.”

Gina smirked. “Talk about weak. I’m not even buzzed yet.”

Dakota glanced at the empty glasses littering the blonde’s side of the bar. She frowned. “Fine, something else then. I’m sure there must be something I can drink without feeling nauseated at the taste.”

Gina nodded. “Tequila it is!”

“What’s tequila?” Dakota asked suspiciously.

“Just drink it miss sassy.”

The clear liquid barely made it past Dakota’s lips before she spat it out this time.

“People actually drink this crap!?”

Gina grinned. She was actually starting to enjoy herself. She didn’t think that doing shots with her revived childhood friend would be how she ignored the miserable feeling of being alone in bed, but it was certainly working.

That night, Gina went through every type of **** she knew, and had the faeries make a shot for each of them. Gin. Whiskey. Scotch. Bourbon. (Those last three tasted pretty much identical but hey, more booze!) Vodka. Sake. Red wine. White wine. Dakota complaining about throwing up, also known as black whine. Brandy. Sherry. Other words that sounded more like the names of strippers. Vermouth. Absinthe. Something called “Aquavit”. Jagermeister. Kahlua. About half a dozen different tap beers, all of which tasted revolting to Dakota, but like mana from heaven to Gina. Hell, they even had mead, not like Dakota liked that any better either.

All those shots, and even Gina was having a bit of a hard time focusing. She wasn’t drunk drunk, but she was definitely feeling a little light-headed.

“Thish ish… blegh…” Considering this was the first time Dakota’s body had any **** whatsoever, it was a wonder that she was still conscious.

Gina burst out laughing at the sound of the usually-composed brunette slurring her words, completely plastered.

“Whydyou drink thish stuff anyway?” Dakota made a face. “It’sh awful… I can’d… blegh… can’t even think straight.”

“That’s the general idea, yeah,” Gina chuckled. “Geez, at this rate, we’re gonna have to get resort to hard lemonade. What about hard apple cider, want some of that?”

Dakota pouted. “That stuff shounds like it’sh for kidsh.”

“I mean, we’ve tried everything else, pretty much,” Gina said, looking at the sea of overturned shot glasses in front of them.

Then she had an idea. If Dakota had gotten this far, how much more fun would it be to push her even farther?

These were the kinds of thoughts that Gina should not be having when she was plastered out of her mind. But, counterargument: they totally were.

“What’s the hardest shit you got? Something that’ll really knock her socks off?” Gina whispered to the bartender.

The faerie thought for a second, and then a wicked smile crossed her face. “You want the real good stuff?”

Gina’s head bobbed up and down.

“Let me get it for you then,” the bartender said, flying down under the bar. She returned a few seconds later with a large bottle in her hands, filled with a clear liquid.

“Ooh! What’s that?” Gina asked, checking the label. Then she had to rub her eyes to make sure she was reading it properly.

Those numbers couldn’t be right, right?

Nah. No way is 96% **** a thing. They gotta mean 96 proof.

Gina was just really drunk. That’s what this was. She unscrewed the cap and immediately her eyes started to water.

Whatever this shit was, it was powerful. What the fuck?

…If this is really 96% ****, then…

A wicked smile crossed Gina’s face as she glanced at Dakota out of the corner of her eye. The black-haired girl seemed to be drifting in and out of consciousness, as typical of someone about to collapse from too much drinking.

In other words, the perfect opportunity for Gina to get some payback for her new shitty memories.

Make me take ballet lessons for three years? I’ll show you, bitch. Gina poured two shots and offered one to Dakota.

“What is this?” Dakota asked suspiciously. Her eyes hurt just looking at it.

“Try it! You’ll love it!” Gina promised, crossing her fingers behind her back.

Dakota took the shot, her fingers shaking so much she could barely lift it to her lips.

The second she did, she wished she hadn’t. Tilting her head back and draining it dry, it took a few seconds before the sensations in her throat to make it up to her brain.

“Yaaaagh! GOD! What the actual fuck?!” She exclaimed, scratching at her throat. “It’s burning all the way down!”

It felt like Gina had fed her battery acid! She coughed and spit and practically hurled all over the floor. Gina wasn’t in much better shape herself.

“Ugh, you're right, that’s the nastiest shit I've ever tasted,” Gina groaned, feeling the inside of her mouth going numb. It was the worst shit she’d ever drank. And now the room was spinning around her. One shot of that had done more damage to her mental faculties than everything else she’d had to drink tonight put together.

So of course, the first thing she did when she got her balance back was pour herself another shot.

Mary yawned. She was walking back to the elevator from a late-night session of praying in the chapel, and was ready to get a good night’s sleep. She’d just absolved herself of all her sins, which was necessary. After all, tomorrow she would be sleeping with Nick.

That’s all it’s going to be, she reminded herself. Just sleeping. Nothing else.

Nick wouldn’t get the chance to be with her until he put a ring on her finger. She was adamant about that.

No matter how much her loins complained otherwise.

She turned the corner and heard some voices coming down the hall. It was a strange blend of two girls… singing?

"Oh, I don’t want no more of Ca-amp Sac!

Please mom, I wanna go! But dad won’t let me go!

Please mom, I wanna go home!"

Dakota and Gina were hanging off of each other, singing with slurred voices as they clung to the wall for support. Gina had a large bottle full of a clear liquid in her hands, which was more than half empty.

Mary scowled. The two girls reeked of booze.

“What is the meaning of this?” She stormed over to them in a huff. “You two stink! What have you been up to?”

It wasn’t her place, she understood that. But this hallway was for everyone, and she should be allowed to walk down it without smelling like a distillery!

Dakota and Gina stared at Mary with blurry eyes, not quite sure what they were looking at for a second.

Then smiles broke out across their faces.

“Mary! It’s Mary!” Gina cooed, hugging Mary from the right.

“Yay! Mary’s here!” Dakota cheered, hugging her from the left.

Mary was thoroughly confused.

“Get off me! You two are drunk!” She wailed, struggling to break free. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was a drunkard. But she wasn't able to fight them off. The other girls were too strong.

“Mary your body’s so soft!” Dakota giggled.

“Especially her boobs,” Gina agreed, giving them a touch. Mary nearly screamed.

“No! Bad!” Dakota swatted Gina’s hand away. “Mary doesn’t like when you do that stuff.”

Gina gasped. “No! Sorry Mary! I didn’t mean too, I’m sorry!”

“What’s even going on here?” Mary wailed. “Why are you two so… so ****!?”

“Becaushe!” Gina laughed, holding up the spirytus bottle as if that answered anything. Mary just stared at it in numb shock.

“So you two really just went off drinking all night?” She sighed. It sounded reckless and stupid. …Which, now that she thought about it, could have been the name of their team, if they became buddies. Which one was which could be decided later.

“Sorry I touched your boobs,” Gina apologized again. Mary held in her temper.

“It’s fine,” she said through gritted teeth.

“I wanna make it up to you!” Gina said. “I’ll give you some of my bras.”

Mary turned pale. Even as drunk as she was, Gina could tell the redhead wasn't comfortable with wearing no underwear.

“No, I’ll give her mine!” Dakota cried. “We had a deal remember?”

“You don’t want her underwear!” Gina pouted. “It’ll smell like dead lady!”

“I don’t smell!” Dakota protested. Gina stuck her tongue out.

“Don’t pick hers! Her bras are probably torn up and useless!” Dakota quickly turned things back around on Gina.

“Nuh-uh,” Gina said, shaking her head. “Mine are great! I got new nice girl ones with my transformation! But fine, you don’t need to borrow my bra. But only if you tell me you like me more than her!”

“Uh… I what?” Mary couldn’t remember if she and Gina had ever had a conversation before. Now she was just confused. She had to tell Dakota she liked Gina better so that Gina would agree to not do her a favor?

Make it make sense.

“No! You like me better, right?” Dakota whined.

That sounded even more bizarre. It was that kind of night, evidently.

“You… you pulled down my swimsuit!” Mary exclaimed.

“But I apowogized!” Dakota blubbered. “I’m sowwie!”

She hugged Mary even tighter.

“I’m sorry too!” Gina wailed, squeezing the redhead tighter herself. “It’s all my fault, because I killed her!”

“Shut up Gina! It’s my fault!”

“No, it’s mine!”

“Mine!”

“Mine!”

“Mine times infinity!”

“Mine times infinity plus one!”

“Fine, then mine times infinity plus two!”

“Mine times infinity plus-”

“Enough!” Mary broke free of their hold, and without her body keeping them upright the two girls collapsed into a pile on the floor, giggling their asses off.

“What’s going on with you two?!” She demanded again. “Why are you drinking?”

“’Cuz fun.” Gina mumbled.

“Yeah,” Dakota agreed. “Fun.”

“Mary, drink with us!” Gina offered the bottle up to her.

“Yeah, be fun!” Dakota agreed. She was having some difficulty thinking for herself, it seemed.

“I will not!” Mary huffed, crossing her arms. “You two need to take better care of yourselves! You’re too old to be going around like this.”

“Hey! I was 12 like two weeks ago!” Dakota protested, as if that made any sense. Mary rolled her eyes.

Gina, on the other hand, went quiet. She slumped back against the wall and stared at the floor. For a second, Mary wondered if she’d gone too far.

“Um… Gina?” She asked, approaching the blonde cautiously.

“It’s fine…” Gina mumbled. “I just… well…”

“You need to take better care of yourself, Gina!”

How many times had she heard that in her life? People ranging from close friends to total strangers were always butting in, telling her what she needed to do, and she always blew them off. She was planning to blow off Mary the same way.

But when she was going to say it, the words just didn’t come out.

Because now, Gina had memories from a whole other life. She could see what she was like when she DID take better care of herself. She was happy, healthy, living with a family who loved her and without the kind of jerk boys a party girl like her attracted.

For the first time, Gina was seeing something she was missing in her life. But she was too drunk to know what to do about it, so all she could do was slump against the wall and cry.